One of my favorite past times is cooking and I really like to experiment with something new, especially in the field of fish cookery. Sometimes though, it’s really difficult to create anything new, especially in the realm of fish chowder.

The challenge of fish chowder is to impart a slightly fishy taste, not an overpowering fishy taste, and to thicken the chowder not like heavy gravy but more like thickened soup. Every cook has his or her own way of accomplishing this.

This recipe and its construction don’t really have earth shaking methods of preparation but those readers that mess around in the kitchen will find it a little different. By the way, the name of the boat from which a lot of fish passed through on their way to the chowder pot was called “The Chummer!”

First, it’s best to use light tasting fish. Barracuda, yellowtail, bonita, lingcod are a little too heavy tasting and they increase the fishy taste of the chowder. This recipe was built with calico bass and sand bass fillets but you could use most any rockfish.

Last week my son and I took a tank of live squid to a favorite, Horseshoe Rock, and caught limits of calico and sand bass. After filleting we had about six pounds of filets. Sometimes it is difficult to disperse leftover fish to your friends and with my freezer topped out with elk there was no room for the storage of extra fish.

So it was time to create New England Fish Chowder, which I have done many, many times in the past. Here is the procedure that produces two gallons of chowder.

Procedure: Peel and cut up the potatoes and let them soak in fresh water during the following preparation. Brown the bacon in a two-gallon pot, remove, then set aside to sprinkle over the individual bowls at serving time.

Remove all but one tablespoon of bacon grease from the pot; add the onions and cook for three minutes; add the two cans of chicken broth and add the potatoes that have been cut in half; when the potatoes are fork tender mash the potatoes and onions; add half the fish and cook for two minutes.

Add the 48-ounce carton of chicken broth; add the rest of the fish and cook slowly for at least one hour. Just before serving add the can of evaporated milk. When it has warmed serve the chowder with bacon sprinkled over the top.

Each day, after the initial construction, the chowder gets better tasting and thicker. I know you think that two gallons of chowder is over-kill but it will be gone in two dinner settings.

Local freshwater

Our local lakes are all facing the same problem of wind and rain, which contributes to the muddy conditions that cloud up the water. After a rain it takes about a week for the lakes to clear and during that week the fish really experience lockjaw. If you are going fishing in the muddy conditions, the fishing pros advise strong smelling bait and noisy, flashy lures.

Laguna Niguel Lake reports that the fishing for the last two weeks has been absolutely awesome. Laguna Niguel is the lake that stocks the famous Utah Hook Jaw trout.

For those readers that would like to brush up on their fly fishing techniques, the lake offers a class conducted by Frank Murata on Saturday mornings. For more information, email Frank at FishingwithFrank@aol.com

Irvine Lake trouting remains solid with a respectable number of 14-pounders caught when the water clears. San Chow of Westminster bagged a big “bow,” 14.2 pounds, and not far behind was a 14-pounder landed by Gary Goemer from Irvine. Numerous fish up to 8 pounds were caught last week.

Santa Ana River Lakes with clearing water really cranked out the trout last week. Anglers checked in with an unbelievable 25 trout topping the 10-pound mark. Leading the pack were a pair of 18-pound rainbows, one caught by Arturo Velasquez of West Covina and the other by Ernie Molina of Pico Rivera.

The fish were caught with the new bait called Nitro Dough. Two trout over 30 pounds were planted Dec. 23 and they haven’t been caught yet. The California state record for non-wild trout is 28.1 pounds.

Saltwater

Good news has come to bare about the popular lingcod that’s been supposedly overfished to a dangerous point. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency “fishwatch” has estimated the lingcod to be over and above the dangerous levels of overfishing. After two years of fishing restrictions small lingcod abound in the area and they are now growing quickly.

Lingcod live up to 20 years and attain sizes of 80 pounds and five feet in length. Currently, lingcod have to be 24 inches long and the bag limit is two per angler. In the Southern management areas the season is from April to November. In the other areas the season is from May or June to November.

Remember that sculpin are open to fishing the year round, although they are still restricted to fishing in waters less than 240 feet deep.

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